Resident Evil Creator Opens New Studio

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Shinji Mikami wants to make 3D horror games -- you know, like avatar with zombies.

By Anoop Gantayat

A few weeks after his latest game Vanquish was announced, Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami is back in the headlines again, only this time he's providing a glimpse of what we could be seeing from him years down the road.

It turns out that, in addition to working freelance with Platinum Games and Sega on Vanquish for PS3 and Xbox 360, Mikami has been setting up a new development outfit in Tokyo. Mikami disclosed first details in an interview in this week's Famitsu.

The new studio, "Tango," opened its doors on March 1 with 13 employees, including former staffers of development studio Grasshopper Manufacturer and people who worked on the likes of Final Fantasy XI and Okami.

For Mikami, the Tokyo setting is new, as he was previously based in Osaka. He actually still spends most of his time in Osaka, he told the magazine, as development on Vanquish heats up. He's now a Tokyo resident, though.

Mikami is in the directors seat for Vanquish. At Tango, he's currently serving the role of CEO and producer as well.

While small, Mikami believes Tango has everything that's needed for a development studio. In fact, they'll be doing most work in house, he said. Due to size, however, he expects the studio to be capable of just one production line at first.

He does have expansion plans, with an eye on growing to 100 staffers in five to seven years. The company plans on seeking employees through an official site shortly (the link does not work at present).

So what will get get in those five to seven years? Mikami didn't provide Famitsu with solid details, stating that he'd like to finalize plans with his staff.

Most intriguingly, he said that he hopes to create a 3D horror game, which might sound at first like Resident Evil, except the "3D" here is like the 3D of Avatar. Making the first true 3D game has been his goal since the days of the original Resident Evil, he said.

More realistically, he said that he'd like his studio to create a major brand, like a Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil -- something where the game becomes a genre all its own.

He also has his staff at work on smaller, low budget stuff -- things where ideas are the main character.

With Mikami's attentions focused on Vanquish, and the small studio of 13 less than a month old, we probably won't get any titles from them for a while. But given Mikami's track record, whatever does emerge will likely garner attention. Maybe he actually will make his 3D horror game.